Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last Thursday made four important changes in his Cabinet and replaced the ministers of culture, health national education and interior with new names.

Omer Celik, known to be close to the prime minister, replaced Ertugrul Gunay of leftist background as the minister of culture. Minister of Health Recep Akdag handed over to Mehmet Muezzinoglu and Nabi Avci, a respected conservative intellectual took over as the minister of national education. Finally, Erdogan replaced the controversial Minister of Interior Idris Naim Sahin with a parliament member from Mardin and the former governor of Istanbul, Muammer Guler.

It's widely believed that Erdogan made the Cabinet changes keeping in mind the need for success in a probable referendum this year on a constitutional amendment to install an executive presidential system and the local elections that will follow in March 2014.

All the replaced ministers were worn-out names. Some of the disputes of the health minister with doctors and the education minister with teachers had generated much angry reaction. But among the four ministers, none was as jaded and battered as Sahin.